Ohio governor appoints dropout quarterback to state Board of Education

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R), who ousted Democrat Ted Strickland in 2010, is fielding heavy criticism for his appointment of a former Ohio State quarterback, Stanley Jackson, to the one of the eight slots he can appoint on the state’s board of education.

It turns out Jackson never submitted a resume for the job, a practice that isn’t required but is common for appointments like this one, and he never actually graduated from Ohio State.

A Kasich spokesperson Rob Nichols told State Impact, a collaboration among local broadcast stations, that he was “sure our people” were aware Jackson hadn’t graduated from college. Jackson’s LinkedIn profile only lists one position, “Sr prog” at Affinion Group, a marketing and customer relations firm.

A bio of Jackson obtained by local news outlets lists him as “the founder of Masters Preparatory Academy Charter School a singer [sic] gender school for African American males,” but the Ohio political blog Plunderbund found that the school doesn’t seem to exist and isn’t on the list of proposed charters schools to open this fall. The school’s website registration reportedly lists Jackson’s home address as its location.

When Raw Story followed up with the Ohio Department of Education, they said they didn’t have any documentation for Masters Preparatory Academy and declined to comment on Jackson’s appointment.

Additionally, the governor’s office cited Jackson’s candidacy for one of the elected positions on the State Board of Education as a reason the governor for appointing him, but State Impact finds that Jackson has not yet filed to run for the board, though applications are due Aug. 8.

Plunderbund noted, “While we are NOT fans of this appointment that appears to have no merit, it is wrong to criticize Jackson personally for this placement. Any blame should remain squarely on the Kasich administration who made this appointment.”

Indeed, the Columbus Dispatch reported that Jackson makes Kasich’s third appointment to the state’s board with “no education experience.”

According to the press release Kasich’s office issued Monday, Jackson was appointed to serve through the end of 2012.

About the Author

Kay Steiger is the managing editor of Raw Story. Her contributions have appeared in The American Prospect, The Atlantic, Campus Progress, The Guardian, In These Times, Jezebel, Religion Dispatches, RH Reality Check, and others. You can follow her on Twitter @kaysteiger.